VISD named semi-finalist in Excellence in Education awards

H-E-B selected the Victoria Independent School District as a semifinalist in the regional judging of the company's "Excellence in Education Awards" program.

The H-E-B program seeks to recognize and honor the best in classroom teaching and campus administration and the best school districts in their service areas.

With more than 1,000 nominations submitted for educators and districts, 150 teachers, 50 principals, and 33 school districts were selected as semi-finalists.

Susanne Carroll, the school district's executive director of research, development, and student services, said the recognition shows the community can be proud of the school district.

"In recent years, our efforts have been focused on quality approaches to providing educational resources and customer service," she said. "In no way are we trying to say we are the best that we can be, but we are certainly on our way to providing excellence."

Carroll said significant changes coming to the structure of Victoria schools include the creation of learning communities.

"We know that the feeder patterns of schools will create stability for students, the smaller learning environments will create comfort zones and the increased numbers of opportunities for involvement will create a sense of belonging for students," she said.

Across the state, eight districts were honored in the H-E-B program. Aransas County Independent School District received the "Finalist" award within the Gulf Coast region.